October 29
Events * 529 BC - The international day of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, who declared the first charter of human rights in the world also known as Cyrus Cylinder. * 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II, Eastern Roman Emperor in Constantinople. This unifies the two branches of the House of Theodosius * 969 - Byzantine troops occupy Antioch Syria *1268 - Conradin, the last legitimate male heir of the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Kings of Germany and Holy Roman Emperors, is executed along with his companion Frederick I by Charles I of Sicily, a political rival and ally to the hostile Roman Catholic church. *1390 - First trial for witchcraft in Paris. *1422 - Charles VII of France becomes king in succession to his father Charles VI of France *1467 - Battle of Brusthem: Charles the Bold defeats Liege *1618 - English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England. *1658 - Action of 29 October 1658 (Naval battle) *1665 - Battle of Ambuila, where Portuguese forces defeated the forces of the Kingdom of Kongo and decapitated king Antonio I of Kongo, also called Nvita a Nkanga.. *1675 - Leibniz makes the first use of the long s, ∫, for integral. *1787 - Mozart's opera Don Giovanni receives its first performance in Prague. *1792 - Mount Hood (Oregon) is named after the British naval officer Alexander Arthur Hood by Lt. William E. Broughton who spotted the mountain near the mouth of the Willamette River. *1859 - Spain declares war on Morocco. *1863 - Sixteen countries meeting in Geneva agree to form the International Red Cross. * 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Wauhatchie - Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant ward off a Confederate attack led by General James Longstreet. Union forces thus open a supply line into Chattanooga. *1881 - The Judge (US magazine) first published. *1886 - The ticker-tape parade is invented in New York City when office workers spontaneously throw ticker tape into the streets as the Statue of Liberty is dedicated. *1901 - In Amherst nurse Jane Toppan is arrested for murdering the Davis family of Boston with an overdose of morphine. * 1901 - Capital punishment: Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of US President William McKinley, is executed by electrocution. *1913 - Floods in El Salvador kill thousands. *1921 - The Link River Dam, a part of the Klamath Reclamation Project, is completed. *1921 - Second trial of Sacco and Vanzetti in USA. * 1921 - The Harvard University football team loses to Centre College, ending a 25 game winning streak. This is considered one of the biggest upsets in college football. *1922 - The King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III, appoints Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister. *1923 - Turkey becomes a republic following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. *1929 - The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday," ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression. *1942 - Holocaust: In the United Kingdom, leading clergymen and political figures hold a public meeting to register outrage over Nazi Germany's persecution of Jews. *1944 - Breda in the Netherlands is liberated by 1st Polish Armoured Division *1945 - Getulio Vargas, president of Brazil, resigns. *1948 - Safsaf massacre *1955 - The Soviet battleship Novorossiisk strikes a World War II mine in the harbor at Sevastopol. *1956 - Suez Crisis begins: Israel forces invade the Sinai Peninsula and push Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal. * 1956 - Tangier Protocol signed: The international city Tangier is reintegrated into Morocco. *1957 - Israel's prime minister David Ben Gurion and five of his ministers are injured as a hand grenade is tossed into Israel's parliament, the Knesset. *1960 - In Louisville, Cassius Clay (who later takes the name Muhammad Ali) wins his first professional fight. *1961 - Syria exits from the United Arab Republic. *1964 - Tanganika and Zanzibar join to form the Republic of Tanzania. *1964 - A collection of irreplaceable gems, including the 565 carat (113 g) Star of India, is stolen by a group of thieves including Jack Murphy from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. *1967 - London criminal Jack McVitie is murdered by the Kray twins, leading to their eventual imprisonment and downfall. * 1967 - Montreal's World Fair, Expo 67, closes with over 50 million visitors. *1969 - The first-ever computer-to-computer link is established on ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet. *1971 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization - The total number of American troops still in Vietnam drops to a record low of 196,700 (the lowest level since January 1966). *1980 - Demonstration flight of a secretly modified C-130 for an Iran hostage crisis rescue attempt ends in crash landing at Eglin Air Force Base's Duke Field, Florida leading to cancellation of Operation Credible Sport. *1983 - An earthquake in Turkey kills 1,300. *1983 - Over 500,000 people demonstrate against cruise missiles in The Hague, The Netherlands. *1985 - Major General Samuel K. Doe is announced the winner of the first multiparty election in Liberia. *1986 - British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opens the last stretch of the M25 motorway. *1988 - Pakistan's General Rahimuddin Khan resigns from his post as Governor of Sindh, following the efforts by President of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan to limit the powers Rahimuddin had accumulated. *1989 - After years of delays, the 63rd Street Tunnel opens for service, the first expansion of the New York City subway system since 1967. *1991 - The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid. *1994 - Francisco Martin Duran fires over two dozen shots at the White House (Duran was later convicted of trying to kill US President Bill Clinton). *1998 - Apartheid: In South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presents its report, which condemns both sides for committing atrocities. * 1998 - Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space. * 1998 - ATSC HDTV broadcasting in the United States is inaugurated with the launch of STS-95 space shuttle mission. * 1998 - While en route from Adana to Ankara, a Turkish Airlines flight with a crew of 6 and 33 passengers is hijacked by a Kurdish militant who orders the pilot to fly to Switzerland. The plane instead lands in Ankara after the pilot tricked the hijacker into thinking that he was landing in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia to refuel. * 1998 - Hurricane Mitch, the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history, made landfall in Honduras. *2002 - Ho Chi Minh City ITC Inferno, a fire destroys a luxurious department store with 1500 people shopping. Over 60 people died and over 100 are missing. It is the deadliest disaster in Vietnam during peacetime. *2004 - The Arabic news network Al Jazeera broadcasts an excerpt from a video of Osama bin Laden in which the terrorist leader first admits direct responsibility for the September 11 and references the 2004 U.S. presidential election. * 2004 - In Rome, European heads of state sign the Treaty and Final Act establishing the first European Constitution. *2005 - 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings kill more than 60. *2007 - Argentina elects its first female president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Births *1017 - Henry III (d. 1056) *1656 (O.S.) - Edmond Halley, English astronomer (d. 1742) *1682 - Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French historian (d. 1761) *1690 - Martin Folkes, English antiquarian (d. 1754) *1704 - John Byng, British admiral (d. 1757) *1740 - James Boswell, Scottish biographer of Samuel Johnson (d. 1795) *1815 - Daniel Emmett, American composer (d. 1904) * 1815 - Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak politician, author of Slovak language (d. 1856) *1822 - Mieczysław Halka Ledóchowski, Polish Catholic Cardinal (d. 1902) *1827 - Marcellin Berthelot, French chemist (d. 1907) *1855 - Paul Bruchési, archbishop of Montreal (d. 1939) *1861 - Andrei Ryabushkin, Russian painter (d. 1904) *1875 - Marie of Edinburgh, queen of Romania (d. 1938) *1877 - Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer (d. 1973) *1879 - Alva B. Adams, American politician (d. 1941) * 1879 - Franz von Papen, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1969) *1880 - Abram Ioffe, Soviet physicist (d. 1960) *1882 - Jean Giraudoux, French writer (d. 1944) *1891 - Fanny Brice, American singer (d. 1951) *1897 - Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda (d. 1945) *1899 - Akim Tamiroff, Russian actor (d. 1972) *1906 - Fredric Brown, American science fiction and mystery writer (d. 1972) *1907 - Edwige Feuillère, French film actress (d. 1998) *1910 - Alfred Ayer, British philosopher (d. 1989) *1915 - William Berenberg, American physician (d. 2005) *1917 - Eddie Constantine, American actor/singer (d. 1993) *1918 - Bernard Gordon, American writer and producer (d. 2007) *1920 - Baruj Benacerraf, Venezuelan-born immunologist, Nobel laureate * 1920 - Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, Indian Catholic *1921 - Bill Mauldin, American cartoonist (d. 2003) *1922 - Neil Hefti, American jazz musician *1923 - Carl Djerassi, Austrian chemist *1925 - Dominick Dunne, American author * 1925 - Robert Hardy, English actor *1926 - Jon Vickers, Canadian tenor *1930 - Niki de Saint Phalle, French sculptor (d. 2002) * 1930 - Natalie Sleeth, American composer (d. 1992) * 1930 - Omara Portuondo, Cuban singer *1931 - Franco Interlenghi, Italian actor *1935 - Takahata Isao, Japanese animated film director *1936 - Akiko Kojima, Japanese model *1938 - Ralph Bakshi, Israeli cartoonist * 1938 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia *1940 - Frida Boccara, French singer (d. 1996) * 1940 - Connie Mack, U.S. Senator from Florida * 1940 - José Ulises Macías Salcedo, Catholic bishop *1942 - Bob Ross, American artist and television host (d. 1995) *1943 - Don Simpson, American film producer (d. 1996) *1944 - Denny Laine, English musician (Moody Blues,Wings) * 1944 - Otto Wiesheu, German minister * 1944 - Claude Brochu, Major League Baseball executive (Montreal Expos) *1946 - Peter Green, English guitarist (Fleetwood Mac) *1946 - Lynn Carey, US-American actress and singer (Mama Lion) *1947 - Richard Dreyfuss, American actor * 1947 - Helen Coonan, Australian politician *1948 - Kate Jackson, American actress *1949 - Paul Orndorff, American professional wrestler *1953 - Denis Potvin, Canadian ice hockey player *1955 - Kevin DuBrow, American singer (Quiet Riot) (d. 2007) * 1955 - Roger O'Donnell, English musician (The Cure) *1956 - Wilfredo Gómez, Puerto Rican boxer *1957 - Dan Castellaneta, American voice actor, Best known as the voice of Homer Simpson *1958 - David Remnick, American writer and editor of The New Yorker *1959 - Mike Gartner, Canadian ice hockey player *1960 - Finola Hughes, British actress *1961 - Randy Jackson, American musician * 1961 - Joel Otto, National Hockey League player *1964 - Yasmin Le Bon, British model *1967 - Joely Fisher, American actress *1967 - Beth Chapman, Star of Dog the Bounty Hunter * 1967 - Rufus Sewell, English actor *1968 - Johann Olav Koss, Norwegian speed skater * 1968 - Tsunku, Japanese music producer *1969 - Giorgos Donis, Greek footballer *1970 - Edwin van der Sar, Dutch footballer * 1970 - Philip Cocu, Dutch footballer *1971 - Winona Ryder, American actress * 1971 - Matthew Hayden, Australian cricketer *1972 - Takafumi Horie, Japanese entrepreneur * 1972 - Gabrielle Union, American actress * 1972 - Tracee Ellis Ross, American actress *1973 - Robert Pirès, French footballer * 1973 - Éric Messier, Canadian ice hockey player *1974 - Michael Vaughan, English cricketer *1975 - Kelly Lin, Chinese actress *1976 - Stephen Craigan, Northern Irish footballer * 1976 - Milena Govich, American actress *1977 - Brendan Fehr, Canadian actor *1978 - Travis Henry, American football player *1980 - Ben Foster, American actor * 1980 - B.J. Sams, American football player *1981 - Amanda Beard, American swimmer * 1981 - Reema Sen, Indian Actress * 1981 - Jonathan Brown, Australian rules footballer *1982 - Chelan Simmons, Canadian actress * 1982 - Ariel Lin, Taiwanese actress and singer *1983 - Maurice Clarett, American football player * 1983 - Dana Eveland, American baseball player * 1983 - Richard Brancatisano, Australian actor * 1983 - Jason Tahincioglu, Turkish racing driver *1984 - Eric Staal, Canadian ice hockey player *1987 - Makoto Ogawa, Japanese singer Deaths *1038 - Aethelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury *1138 - Bolesław III Krzywousty, Duke of Poland (b. 1086) *1268 - Conradin, Duke of Swabia (executed) (b. 1252) * 1268 - Frederick I (beheaded) (b. 1249) *1590 - Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert, Dutch politician (b. 1522) *1618 - Sir Walter Raleigh, English explorer (executed) (b. 1554) *1650 - David Calderwood, Scottish historian (b. 1575) *1666 - Edmund Calamy the Elder, English Presbyterian leader (b. 1600) * 1666 - James Shirley, English dramatist (b. 1596) *1783 - Jean le Rond d'Alembert, French mathematician (b. 1717) *1829 - Maria Anna Mozart, Austrian musician (b. 1751) *1877 - Nathan Bedford Forrest, American Confederate general (b. 1821) *1901 - Leon Czolgosz, American assassin of U.S. President William McKinley (b. 1873) *1905 - Etienne Desmarteau, Canadian athlete (b. 1873) *1911 - Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-born newspaper publisher (b. 1847) *1919 - A. B. Simpson, Canadian preacher (b. 1843) *1932 - Joseph Babiński, Polish-French neurologist (b. 1857) *1933 - Albert Calmette, French physician (b. 1863) * 1933 - Paul Painlevé, French mathematician and politician (b. 1853) *1939 - Dwight B. Waldo, American educator and historian (b. 1864) *1949 - G. I. Gurdjieff, Armenian mystic (b. 1872) *1950 - King Gustaf V of Sweden (b. 1858) *1953 - William Kapell, American pianist (b. 1922) *1957 - Louis B. Mayer, American film producer (b. 1885) * 1957 - Rosemarie Nitribitt, German call girl (b. 1933) *1958 - Zoe Akins, American playwright (b. 1886) *1963 - Adolphe Menjou, American actor (b. 1890) *1971 - Duane Allman, American musician (b. 1946) * 1971 - Arne Tiselius, Swedish chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1902) *1981 - Georges Brassens, French singer (b. 1921) *1986 - Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1913) *1987 - Woody Herman, American musician (b. 1913) *1995 - Terry Southern, American screenwriter (b. 1924) *1997 - Anton LaVey, American founder of the Church of Satan (b. 1930) *1998 - Paul Misraki, French songwriter (b. 1908) *1999 - Michel Regnier (Greg), Belgian comic-book writer and artist (Achille Talon) (b. 1931) *2002 - Glenn McQueen, American animator (b. 1960) *2003 - Hal Clement, American writer (b. 1922) * 2003 - Franco Corelli, tenor (b. 1921) *2004 - Edward Oliver LeBlanc, Dominican politician (b. 1923) * 2004 - Vaughn Meader, American comedian (b. 1936) * 2004 - Peter Twinn, English mathematician (b. 1916) *2006 - Mohammadu Maccido, 18th Sultan of Sokoto (b. 1928) Holidays and observances * R.C. Saints - October 29th is the feast day of the following Roman Catholic Saints: ** Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem ** St. Abraham of Rostov ** Douai Martyrs ** St. Maximillian * Anglican Church - James Hannington * Turkey - Republic Day (1923) * Coronation Day of Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:October